The enduring grandeur of natural wood floors

Floor It

Old growth hemlocks used to stand on the land where our farmhouse was built in the early 1800s. Now we stand on them.

Upstairs are 16-inch-wide planks. We suspect the kitchen floor was originally the barn’s second story. Wherever we tread, we can read the tale of the tree in gorgeous detail.

The reasons to opt for wood floors are myriad, say aficionados. “I like the solid feel,” says Bill Beach of Beach Flooring in Scotia. “I like the natural inconsistencies, the character.”

Larry Thompson of Thompson Wood Flooring in Schuylerville cites cleanliness as one of its allures. “People like the fact that when their kids are on the floor, it’s clean,” he says. “If you’ve ever ripped up an old carpet, the amount of dirt and dust mites is disgusting. If you have pets, fleas will actually breed in your carpet. People with asthma and allergies cannot have carpet.”

And then there’s its enduring style. “It just doesn’t seem to ever go out of style,” says Teresa McClain of Brewer Wood Flooring in Wynantskill. “People put in tile and then they don’t like it because it’s very cold on their feet or if they drop something, it chips the tile, so they want to chisel that up and put in wood.”

If you’re interested in going the wood-floor route, our experts suggest keeping a few points in mind. The type of wood is obviously at the top.

Just as certain colors dominate in different parts of the country, so, too, are some woods more popular in one area over another. In the Northeast, red oak rules, says Thompson.

“Out of 28 years that I’ve been doing hardwood floors, 95 to 97 percent is red oak,” he says. “It’s a pretty, dimensionally stable product. It’s abundant, it’s affordable, and it works well with the climate changes.”

For antique wood, he suggests Carlisle Flooring. “They specialize in old-growth wood and reclaimed wood,” he says. “Much of it was sunk in Lake Champlain.”

Although technically a grass, bamboo is another increasingly popular choice, Beach says. “It’s trendy right now,” he says. “The downside is it’s not so green. They use high temperature and pressure to make flooring out of it. That takes a lot of energy.”

Some builders like high-contrast hickory, while pine is a traditional choice, especially for children’s rooms, says McClain. “People like to put pine floors in older homes and farmhouses,” she says. “They like the rustic look. Pine is knottier and it’s a softer wood. You can dent it. After time, people like the worn look.”

While wood flooring works just about anywhere in the home, one place, Thompson says, should be avoided: the cellar. “I am a true believer in a real authentic hardwood floor, but if you’re going below grade in a basement, you’re probably going to want to use a floating floor. It’s a synthetic wood that simulates the look of hardwood, but wears like Formica. It’s very durable. It doesn’t react as much to moisture.”

When considering wood flooring, paying attention to how it is milled, which affects its structural integrity, is also important, McCain says. For radiant heating, for instance, the most stable wood is quarter-sawn wood, she says. Otherwise, most floorboards today are flat-sawn, she says. The standard thickness is three-quarters of an inch. Planks should be kiln dried, with 6 percent moisture content before installation, says McClain.

It’s better to install and finish raw wood than to buy pre-finished flooring, Thompson believes. “Every pre-finished board has a micro bevel on the sides, like a v-groove,” Thompson says. “It becomes an awful dirt collector. It’s very unsightly. The raw wood sits nice and tight together. You don’t have that gap.”

If you want to boost the resale value of your house, Thompson says the natural look trumps dark stain. “The lighter you keep the floor, the larger the rooms appear to be,” he says. “The darker the floor, the smaller and more closed in they appear.”

And keep in mind the width of the wood. The most common strip flooring is 2 and a quarter inches wide, says Beach. The wider the plank, the more it moves, he says. “Humidity will affect it much more,” he says. “You’re going to get more cupping and larger gapping between the boards as it contracts and expands.”

Do it yourself

Laying Laminate FlooringPhoto: Edward Shaw/GettyImages

If you’re handy, you can probably handle a basic wood floor, but it will likely take much longer and look less perfect than having it done professionally, says Bill Beach, of Beach Flooring in Scotia. Make sure to use a respirator, eye and ear protection, he says. Here’s his how-to explanation:

1. The plywood sub-floor should be firm, solid, level, and covered by a vapor barrier of 15-pound felt paper or rosin paper.

2. Rack the wood, laying it out in sections of four or five linear feet at a time. Most wood comes in random lengths, which are laid end to end lengthwise. When you hit a wall, saw off the excess, and start the next row.

3. Nail down each section and repeat the process. Beach, who is right-handed, starts at the wall and moves back, working from left to right.

4. If you’re installing raw wood or refinishing, smooth it using a belt sander. Beware: Paint on an existing floor may gunk up the sandpaper and contain toxic lead.

8. Seal. Water-based finish is harder, longer-lasting and less toxic. Due to stricter off-gassing requirements, oil-based polyurethane recipes have changed, raising the chance of third-coat blisters that “look like a skin disease,” Beach says.